Multi-compartment garment

ABSTRACT

The present invention is a garment, such as a shirt, that includes a bi-sectional breast pocket including a standard seam traversing a traditional “home plate” shaped pentagon, and an adjacent parallel seam forming a column having open top and bottom ends. The column establishes a holder for glasses wherein a temple of the glasses can be inserted into the column through the open bottom end so that the glasses can hang comfortably and securely outside the column. The garment may also include a second, hidden shoulder pocket that can be used to hold a small object, such as a key, pack of gum, or the like. The garment in some cases may also include a third hidden pocket along the seam of the shirt below the ribs of the wearer, where slightly smaller objects can be kept such as a wallet, money clip, hotel card key, or the like.

BACKGROUND

The fashion industry is always looking for new ways to attract customers. The ideal way to create an attraction in the market is to mesh style with function in an article of clothing. This, of course, is easier said than done when it comes to trends and styles, and coming up with novel features of a garment that are both useful and attractive is a perpetual challenge.

One issue that has arisen is the question of where one keeps one's glasses or sunglasses when not in use. Some people hang them inside their collar or on the back of their collar, but both of these solutions are unsatisfactory. It would be beneficial to have a comfortable, discrete, and unobtrusive place to keep a pair of glasses or sunglasses on a shirt that does not create an unwieldy pouch, and allows easy and quick access to the glasses.

Another issue is that while some shirts include a breast pocket, a user may not want to keep anything of any size or volume in the pocket as it often protrudes in an undesirable manner and detracts from the appearance and shape of the shirt. For example, a key or a pack of mints would create an unsightly protrusion that many users would seek to avoid. However, most shirts offer no other convenient location for such an item that does not create a protrusion in the shirt without destroying the natural shape and form of the garment. This situation is even made more problematic if the item to be stored is slightly larger, such as an ID, credit card, cash, or the like.

It would be advantageous if a garment such as a shirt could be designed to accompany various items such as sunglasses, a key, and an ID or credit card, in a manner that did not unduly depart from the traditional shape and form of the garment. The present invention seeks to address this need and overcome the shortcomings of the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a garment, such as a shirt, that includes a bi-sectional breast pocket including a standard seam traversing a traditional “home plate” shaped pentagon, and an adjacent parallel seam forming a column having open top and bottom ends. The column establishes a holder for glasses wherein a temple of the glasses can be inserted into the column through the open bottom end so that the glasses can hang comfortably and securely outside the column. The garment may also include a second, hidden shoulder pocket that can be used to hold a small object, such as a key, pack of gum, or the like. The garment in some cases may also include a third hidden pocket along the seam of the shirt below the ribs of the wearer, where slightly smaller objects can be kept such as a wallet, money clip, hotel card key, or the like. In this manner, the shirt of the present invention incorporates many new features not found in the prior art, and that combine to achieve a fashionable yet functional apparel for the active man or woman.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevated perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view along lines 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, perspective view of the pocket of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view along lines 5-5 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 in an enlarged side, view, partially in shadow, of the pocket of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates a shirt 10 having a set of hidden pockets and compartments characteristic of the present invention. Shirt 10 is made of a cloth material and includes a torso portion 12, first and second arm sleeves 14, a neck 16, and a breast pocket 18. The torso portion 12 is formed by a front 20 and a back 22, sewn together at first and second seams 24. The foregoing is representative of many shirts in the fashion industry, and the various components may be different from those shown in the figures. The neck 16, for example, may be a V-neck, a crew collar, or any other type of opening. The sleeves 14 may be long, mid-length, or short depending on the style. The length of the torso 12 can extend below the waistline or terminate at the waist. The present invention can be formed in both men's and women's garments, and extend to garments other than shirts, such as hoodies, jackets, etc.

Shown on the right sleeve 14 of the shirt 10 of FIG. 1 is a slit 26 that serves as an opening to a first hidden pocket 28 (see FIG. 2). The hidden pocket is formed by sewing a layer of material 30 around the slit 26, where the sleeve 14 and the layer of material 30 cooperate to establish a pocket 28 accessible through the slit 26. When the shirt is worn normally, the slit 26 is closed thus “hiding” the pocket 28 from view. The pocket 28 can hold small objects, such as a pack of gum or mints, a key or key card, some cash, or the like, without creating a bulky obtrusion to the contour and fashion lines of the shirt that the designer intended. This hidden pocket 28 is easily accessible but otherwise invisible to the eye, and in some embodiments a second pocket can be added to the other sleeve 14. In a preferred embodiment, the sleeve pocket 28 extends to the end 15 of the sleeve 14 for maximum depth and storage.

FIG. 3 illustrates another feature of the present invention, where a breast pocket 18 includes a glasses holder 40. The glasses holder 40 is a cylindrical tube formed from the torso portion 12 and a strip of material 42 sewn along a first side 44 and a second side 46, leaving an opening 48 where the temple 54 of the glasses 56 is inserted and an opening 50 at the bottom where the end 52 of the temple 54 of the glasses 56 protrudes through to secure the glasses therein (see FIGS. 3-5). In a preferred embodiment, the pocket 18 and the strip of material 42 are continuous before the sewing of the edge 46 to create the separate pocket and glasses holder 40.

FIG. 1 also illustrates a second hidden pocket 60, best shown in FIG. 6. A patch of material 62 is sewn against the torso portion 12 to form a pouch or pocket 60. Access to the pocket 60 is through an opening 64 in the seam 24 of the shirt 10, such that the opening is normally closed and hidden from view. A user can slip an object into the pocket where it is secured in the lower portion 66 of the pocket until needed. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the pocket 60 is substantially hidden from view when not in use and does not create any bulge or projection in the shirt when worn by a user. In a preferred embodiment, the pocket 60 extends at a lower edge 70 to the bottom of the shirt's lower end 72.

The present invention is a multi-functional stylistic shirt that can be worn by men and women, and allows both the convenience of a place to keep one's glasses or sunglasses, and a plurality of hidden pockets to keep convenience items or keys/money without impacting the form and style of the garment. The shirt can be worn with a bathing suit, for example, and provides a place to keep a hotel room key, cash, an ID card, or credit card. The fact that the pockets are hidden allows a great many different styles of shirt without detracting from the fashion of the garment.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown in the Figures, but rather those embodiments are intended to be illustrative only. There are many different types of garments that would benefit from the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is intended to include all the various garments that would benefit the present invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is properly limited only by the words of the claims below, using their plain and ordinary meanings, in light of the descriptions and depictions of the invention provided herein. 

1. A garment to be worn by a user, the garment including a torso portion formed by a front surface and a back surface joined at first and second seams, first and second arm sleeves, and a neck, the garment comprising: a breast pocket and a glasses holder combination, the glasses holder adjacent the breast pocket and formed by a tubular compartment having an open top end and an open bottom end, the tubular compartment sized to receive a temple of a pair of glasses thereinthrough; a hidden sleeve pocket formed by a horizontal slit in the sleeve and a sheet sewn against an inner surface of the first arm sleeve, where the first arm sleeve and the sheet form a compartment that is accessible only through the horizontal slit in the first arm sleeve; and a hidden side pocket formed with the torso portion and a layer of garment sewn against an inner surface thereof to form a second compartment, the second compartment assessable through an opening in the seam joining the front surface and the back surface.
 2. The garment of claim 1, wherein both first and second sleeves have a hidden sleeve pocket.
 3. The garment of claim 1, wherein the glasses holder and breast pocket are formed by a common sheet of material sewn over the torso portion of the garment.
 4. The garment of claim 1, wherein the hidden sleeve pocket extends to an end of the first arm sleeve.
 5. The garment of claim 1, wherein the hidden side pocket extends to a bottom edge of the garment. 